Research News 2017

Dr. Karin Weber-Gasparoni, head of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, has received a $10,000 grant from the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation for her research, "Factors Associated with Early Childhood Caries Among Young WIC-Enrolled Children."

The primary goal of the one-year study is to evaluate risk factors associated with non-cavitated and/or cavitated lesions among children aged 12 to 48 months who are enrolled at the University of Iowa's Infant Oral Health Program.

The UI College of Dentistry is one of the research centers for a multi-center National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study that will focus on dental caries (cavities) in children.

Dec 10, 2017

The UI College of Dentistry is one of the research centers for a multi-center National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study that will focus on dental caries (cavities) in children. The study, “Predicting Caries Risk in Underserved Children, from Toddlers to the School-age Years in Primary Healthcare Settings,” is a five-year competitive renewal that continues work on the development of a better dental caries risk prediction model for underserved toddlers and young children. The study is funded by the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and is based at the University of Michigan, with Dr. Margherita Fontana as principal investigator.

Dental caries is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood, with about 23 percent of U.S. 2- to 5-year-old children being affected. The proportion of children affected is higher for 6- to 8-year-old children, with over 50 percent affected. This study will focus on children in low socioeconomic and minority population groups where the proportion of children with caries is higher and access to treatment is lower compared to the general population. Dental caries is largely preventable, but finding effective tools to identify children in the underserved populations who are more likely to get the disease has been elusive, and thus, preventive efforts in these populations have largely been ineffective. This study uses a unique, multidisciplinary approach to predict caries – one that is designed to be used in primary medical care settings – based on posing questions to parents of infants and toddlers and following these children until age 8 to allow for early identification of those at high risk for caries. Identifying children at high risk for caries will permit cost-effective preventive and referral strategies to be developed and used in inter-professional settings, thereby reducing this significant oral health disparity in children.

The Iowa team for this project is led by site Dr. Steven Levy (Departments of Preventive & Community Dentistry and Epidemiology), who is principal investigator. Other members of the UI study team are Drs. John Warren (Preventive & Community Dentistry), Justine Kolker (Operative Dentistry), Barcey Levy (Family Medicine) and Jeanette Daly (Family Medicine).

Other sites for the study include Indiana University and Duke University, with coordination from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Satheesh Elangovan, Department of Periodontics, has received a grant for $49,278 from the International Team of Implantology Foundation.

Sep 25, 2017

Dr. Satheesh Elangovan, Department of Periodontics, has received a grant for $49,278 from the International Team of Implantology Foundation. The grant will be used for his research, "RNA Activated Titanium Surface for Enhanced Soft Tissue Attachment: A Proof of Concept Study," which will focus on developing a novel titanium surface that will also act as an RNA (of growth factors) delivery device.

Dr. Aliasger Salem (Colleges of Pharmacy and Dentistry) is the co-investigator of this study. Drs. Georgia Johnson, Department of Periodoontics, and Michael Korman (University of Tubinghen, Germany) will serve as consultants. The goal of this project is to develop a biologically active titanium surface that can improve the quality of peri-implant soft tissue seal.

Dr. Azeez Butali, Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research (IIOHR), and Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology and Medicine, received a five-year National Institute of Health (NIH) Kids First Program service grant.

Sep 25, 2017

Dr. Azeez Butali, Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research (IIOHR), and Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology and Medicine, received a five-year National Institute of Health (NIH) Kids First Program service grant.

The goal of the Garbriella Miller Kids First (GMKF) Program is to develop a data resources for the pediatric research community incorporating both childhood cancer and structural birth defects genomic and phenotypic data.

The long-term goal of their study is to identify specific genomic variants through whole genome sequencing (WGS) of orofacial clefts (OFC) case-parent triads from African and Asian populations. The knowledge gained from these WGS studies will drive future research on OFC and should eventually lead to more effective interventions to reduce the risk of OFC.

The grant will will be used to help develop his Biorepository project, which will combine biological materials, dental and medical records; establish a fully integrated medical, genetic, and dental patient record, to improve a patient's quality of care and enhance quality research across the UI medical and dental facilities; and make the data and biological materials available to UI researchers and other collaborators, to conduct ground-breaking research, deliver personalized precision medicine, and improve patients' health.

Through the service grant, NIH will pay a multi-million dollar amount for the whole genome sequencing of 805 samples at the Broad Institute (Cambridge, Mass.). The GMKF is a $126 million congressional mandate to support research that will find a cure for pediatric cancers and structural birth defects. It is from the NIH common funds and $12.6 million has been set aside each year for 10 years. Since 2015, there have been 23 funded applications; Dr. Butali's application has been one of the 8 funded grants in 2017.

Dr. Kyungsup Shin, Department of Orthodontics, has received an American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF) grant.

Aug 18, 2017

Dr. Kyungsup Shin, Department of Orthodontics, has received an American Association of Orthodontists Foundation (AAOF) grant for his research, "Carbonated Apatite Coated Gene-Activated Matrices for Enhanced Bone Tissue Regeneration."

Dr. Shin is principal investigator for the two-year, $99,424 grant. Co-investigators include Dr. Aliasger Salem, College of Pharmacy; Dr. Liu Hong, Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research and Department of Prosthodontics; Dr. Deborah Dawson, Biostatistics and Research Design and Department of Pediatric Dentistry; and Dr. Thomas Southard, DEO, Department of Orthodontics, and Dr. Shin's career development mentor.

As an alternative and promising approach to bone grafting, Dr. Shin will conduct research on the use of gene-activated matrices (GAMs) capable of non-viral-mediated gene delivery to enhance bone regeneration. The objectives of his proposed research project are to determine enhanced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro and to determine improved bone tissue regeneration at calvarial defect sites of a rodent animal model in vivo.

Dr. Leo Marchini, Department of Preventive & Community Dentistry, receives the 2017-2018 Student Research Mentor of the Year Award.

Jun 22, 2017

Dr. Leo Marchini, Department of Preventive & Community Dentistry, was the 2017-2018 Student Research Mentor of the Year Award recipient. His award was announced during the Student Research Spring Meeting on May 18.

This is Dr. Marchini's second year as a dental student research mentor. Last year he was a research mentor to several dental research students who nominated him; he will be their mentor again this year: Josh Colvin, Nicole Krois and Ryan Rucker (all D2) and Erica Recker (D3).

Drs. Liu Hong, Brad A. Amendt and Azeez Butali have each received the 2016 Inventor Award from the UI Research Foundation.

May 17, 2017

Dr. Liu Hong, Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, and Department of Prosthodontics; Associate Dean for Research Brad A. Amendt; and Dr. Azeez Butali, Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, and Oral Pathology, Radiology and Medicine, have each received a 2016 Inventor Award from the UI Research Foundation. Drs. Hong and Amendt received the award in recognition of their innovations over the years and their work with NaturemiRI, LLC.

Dr. Hong received the award for his patent, "MicroRNA-200a Based Approaches for Modulating Bone Formation Inhibition and Bone Regeneration."

Dr. Amendt received the award for his patent, "A Plasmid-Based microRNA Inhibitor System."

Dr. Butali received his award in recognition of his intellectual property, Healthcare Trends -- Help My Pikin app, a campaign to reduce the infant and under 5 mortality rates in Nigeria. (For more information, go to https://onemission.fund/support/help-my-pikin/.)

Dr. Brian Howe, Department of Family Dentistry, received the William J. Gies Award in Clinical Research during the recent annual meeting of the International/American Association for Dental Research.

Apr 13, 2017

Dr. Brian Howe, Department of Family Dentistry, received the William J. Gies Award in Clinical Research during the recent annual meeting of the International/American Association for Dental Research.

The William J. Gies Award is given to the best paper published in the Journal of Dental Research during the preceding year in the areas of biological, biomaterials and bioengineering, and clinical research. Dr. Howe received the award for his first published paper, “Spectrum of Dental Phenotypes in Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefting.”

Dr. Howe’s research mentors are Dr. Lina Moreno Uribe, Department of Orthodontics, and Dr. Mary Marazita, vice chair, Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine.

Wenjie Yu (pictured with his mentor, Dr. Brad A. Amendt, and Dean David Johnsen), a PhD candidate in Associate Dean for Research Brad A. Amendt's lab, received the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Bernard Sarnat Award in Craniofacial Biology, senior division.

Apr 07, 2017

Wenjie Yu, a PhD candidate in Associate Dean for Research Brad A. Amendt's lab, received the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Bernard Sarnat Award in Craniofacial Biology, senior division.

Dr. Bernard G. Sarnat made pioneering contributions to the understanding of craniofacial development and the causes of facial deformities.

Wenjie presented "Pitx2 Controls DESC Proliferation and Differentiation by Targeting the Dental Epithelial Signaling Center" during the annual AADR/IADR meeting, which was held recently in San Francisco, Calif.Co-authors included Z. Sun, S. Eliason, and Dr. Amendt, who is Wenjie's mentor.

Dr. Gustavo Avila-Ortiz, Department of Periodontics, has received an $82,500 research grant from Osteogenics Biomedical, Inc. to conduct a study.

Mar 15, 2017

Dr. Gustavo Avila-Ortiz, associate professor in the Department of Periodontics, has received an $82,500 research grant from Osteogenics Biomedical, Inc. (Lubbock, Texas) to conduct a study entitled, "Clinical, Radiographic and Histologic Evaluation of a Novel Alveolar Ridge Reconstruction Approach in Post-Extraction Dehiscence Defects: A Case Series Study." This study will evaluate the treatment of severe dihiscence defects in extraction sockets using a minimally-invasive guided bone regeneration (GBR) technique that involves the application of a particulate bone allograft and a non-resorbable polyetrafluoroesthylene (PTFE) membrane.

Dr. Marian Antonious, a second-year resident in the Department of Periodontics, will participate in this study as co-investigator. She will use the results of this project to complete the requirements related to her M.S. degree in 2018.

This study is currently ongoing and is actively recruiting patients; Mr. Richard Barwacz, Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, is the study coordinator.

Dr. Matthew Geneser, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, has received the 2016 James H. McLeran Faculty Award.

Jan 10, 2017

Dr. Matthew Geneser has received the James H. McLeran Faculty Award. A faculty in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry since 2011, Geneser works with the residents and predoctoral students as a teacher, mentor, and as the pediatric dentistry graduate program director, a position he assumed in 2012.

In 2012, Dr. Geneser also became director of the newly established Nasoalveolar Molding Clinic at the Center for Disabilities and Development, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Nasoalveolar molding (NAM) is a form of pre-surgical molding designed to reduce the size of a child's cleft and improve the anatomy of the soft tissues and also the nasal artilage before surgery. This procedure is offered to families whose infant has a complete cleft of the alveolus and the lip.

Soon after birth, an impression is made of the baby's upper jaw. After the device is custom made, it is taped to the baby's cheeks and worn 24 hours a day. Children are still able to feed with a bottle while the device is worn; most tolerate it well. Every one to two weeks, the NAM appliance is modified, putting pressure on the tissues to promote hard and soft tissue changes and reducing the severity of the cleft. The appliance is worn continually until the baby's first surgery, usually around six months of age. Dr. Geneser works closely with the craniofacial team, which includes an orthodontist, oral surgeon, otolaryngologist, audiologist, speech pathologist, and plastic surgeon, among others. Dr. Geneser's clinic has so far treated twenty-six children with cleft lip and palate.

Dr. Geneser is currently serving as a consultant with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's (AAPD) Scientific Program Committee as a site examiner for the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), and as a consultant and board examiner for the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD). He also serves as the AAPD's public policy advocate for the state of Iowa.

The College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics acknowledged Dr. Geneser's dedication and commitment to his patients, students, and profession by presenting him with the 2016 James H. McLeran Award.

Dr. Lina Moreno-Uribe, Department of Orthodontics and Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, has received the Ross D. Christensen Family Professorship in Orthodontics.

Jan 06, 2017

Dr. Lina Moreno-Uribe, Department of Orthodontics and Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, has received the Ross D. Christensen Family Professorship in Orthodontics.

Dr. Moreno received her DDS in 1991 from the Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud CES in Medellin, Colombia. In 1995, she received a certificate in orthodontics from the Unviersidad de Antiquia Medellin. She came to Iowa to do research and advance her understanding and knowledge about the genetics underlying oral clefts.

In 2005, Dr. Moreno received a PhD in oral science from the College of Dentistry, followed by a certificate in orthodontics.

She joined the Department of Orthododontics in 2008 as an assistant professor and became an associate professor in 2016.

The endowment will enable her to continue with her scientific work in the genetics of clefting and dentofacial anomalies.

Her memberships include the American Association of Orthodontics, the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, the American Society for Human Genetics, and the American Dental Association.